9 Possible Reasons Why Your Beagle Won’t Eat

Beagles love food. Put anything in front of them, and it will be in their stomach within a moment. But it can be very concerning if your dog refuses to eat all of a sudden. But why won’t your beagle eat?

Beagles can refuse to eat for various reasons such as dental disease, upset stomach, or behavior issues. Sudden loss of appetite can also be a sign of severe health diseases. You should consult your veterinarian if your beagle has not eaten anything for more than 24 hours.

To provide appropriate treatment, it is necessary to identify the cause. So let’s look into some of the possible reasons why your beagle won’t eat.

Dental disease

Dental issues are quite common among all the dogs. Problems like tooth decay, loose tooth, and infection can cause pain while eating, and that’s why they refuse to eat.

Owners often neglect the dental care of their beagles. Many assume that giving chew treats and bones is enough to keep the dog’s teeth clean and healthy, but this is not true. Beagles need proper dental care, which includes:

• Brushing teeth: You should brush your beagle’s teeth at least once a day with Canine Toothpaste and brush. No matter how old your beagle is, brushing should be mandatory for puppies, adults, and seniors. Doing so will eliminate the risk of most dental problems.
• Regular dental checkup: You should have your beagle’s teeth and gums checked up by a veterinarian every six months. This can help identify early signs of dental problems and provide treatment accordingly.
• Regular Dental Treats:  Dental treats can help prevent plaque and tartar buildup. Giving them dental treats and chew bones will not only keep their gums healthy but also fix bad breath.

Upset Stomach

Beagles love to eat. They often get themselves in trouble by eating things they are not supposed to, causing an upset stomach.

An upset stomach can make them uneasy and nauseous. It can cause pain in the stomach. Due to this, they start avoiding food until they feel better.

Two of the most common forms of upset stomachs are:

• Indigestion: Indigestion is caused when the dog’s digestive system cannot process food that they ate. It can make them feel full. A home remedy for indigestion is to feed your dog a spoon of Greek yogurt.
• Gastritis: Gastritis happens when the dog eats something which is nonedible for canines. It can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and gas. You can read more about it here.

In such cases, please do not force your dog to eat and allow them to feel better. Contact your vet for medical advice.

To avoid an upset stomach, restrict their access to the kitchen area as well as the trash can. Do not feed leftover scraps from your dining table. Make sure your pooch only eats healthy canine food.

Food Quality

The quality of food can affect your beagle’s diet. Feeding low-quality dog food, which contains fillers and by-products, is not only unhealthy, but it can drop their appetite.

Ideal dog food should be healthy as well as tasty enough. Here are some of the best dry dog food for beagles.

Apart from that, if the dog food is old and expired, beagles may refuse to eat it due to its spoiled smell.

Bored with Food

Beagles are not picky eaters but feeding them the same food every day can get them bored. Beagle who use to jump for food can start avoiding it if they are bored.

This usually happens when you feed the same dog food every day. Try to make their food interesting. Put some healthy addons like pieces of apples or bananas in their food. This will keep their meal exciting and make it more appealing. Here is a list of vegetables that beagles can eat. You can add these veggies in their meal every now and then.

Something similar happened to us. My beagle, Groot, started refusing his meals because he got bored with its taste. So what I did was I started feeding him dog food of two different brands every meal.

Medical Problem

In an unfortunate case, loss of appetite can be a sign of some serious health conditions, including cancer, kidney failure, and liver problems.

Along with the loss of appetite, if you notice any other symptoms, contact your vet immediately.

Vaccination/Medication

While modern vaccinations help to eliminate numerous potential diseases, dogs can have side effects of recent vaccination or medication, which can include loss of appetite.

Your beagle may refuse to eat their food and even feel lethargic. But it’s temporary and does not require any special treatment. Usually, their appetite is back within a day.

Age

As beagles get older, their sense of smell and taste weakens. Due to this, the food may not appear as appealing as before to them.

Apart from that, exercise requirements of senior dogs reduce too. They start becoming more and more couch potatoes. They do not require as many nutrients as before. So feeding them adult dog food with high nutrients can make them full easily.

It is advised to feed Senior dog food to beagles above seven years old. These foods are more appealing and contain fewer calories. Here are some of the best Senior dog food for beagles.

Picky with food

While most of the beagles love to eat, some equally adorable beagles are a little picky with their food. They do not like eating dry and non-tasty dog food. They are very selective with the flavor they want.

If that’s the case, you will have to try food from different brands and see what works. You can try giving them gravy or wet food, which is more appealing and tasty. Here are some of the best wet dog food for beagles.

Overfeeding

While treats are necessary to train beagles, owners often overfeed treats to their dog. As you overfeed treats that are tastier than dog food, beagles start relying on them and refuse to eat their bland meal.

Treats cannot provide all the nutrients necessary for their growth and development. They need to have dog food. A general rule of thumb is that treats should account for no more than 10% of their total food intake.

Here are some of the best treats for your beagle.

Final Thoughts

I know it can be stressful to see your foodie beagle refuse their meal, but you need to first find out what’s causing this and eliminate all the possibilities and find out why your beagle is not eating. However, the best thing to do is to consult a veterinarian.